I used to think finding wall art (anything that hangs on a wall) was my biggest decorating weakness.

Maybe it still is.

It’s really difficult for me to find wall art I truly love. If you came to my house and paid attention to my walls, you’d notice there isn’t much hanging on them for the size of our house.

And yet…it still feels finished. Cozy. Complete.

So when I find something I’m drawn to, I pay attention.

For months, I walked past this silver-and-black candle sconce at my local antique mall. Then one day it was marked down to $29, and I brought it home.

I loved the metalwork. The flowers and leaves remind me of my bedroom chandelier. 

And bonus—it holds candles. I love wall art that can shapeshift depending on the season or the room.

I moved my huge plant off the column while the sconce auditioned

But once I got the sconce home…

I didn’t love it.

With candles.
Without candles.

It was waaaaaay too busy. Too bossy. Too loud.

But, I still loved the piece.

So instead of getting rid of it, I painted it the same color as the walls in the snug (Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green).

Immediately it felt calmer. But it still wasn’t right. I put it in the basement while I worked through the Order of Decor in some other rooms.

I tried it in the guest room. Nope. Back to the basement.

Almost a year later, I hung it in the snug.

And suddenly…

it was home.

Because the sconce was the exact same color as the walls and trim, it no longer begged for attention.

Instead, it quietly became part of the room.

One of my House Rules says:

Contrast is queen…if you want to be seen.

Most people stop after the word queen.

They assume contrast is always the answer.

But contrast has one job:

To attract your attention.

Don’t be mad at me, but not everything in a room should try to get your attention. 

Some pieces are meant to anchor a room.
Some soften it.
Some simply support everything else.

This sconce didn’t become less beautiful when I painted it.

It just stopped trying to be the main character.

And I think our homes need more pieces like that.

Sometimes a room that asks less of your attention gives you so much more in return.

PS, Painting this sconce the same color as the wall is just one small example of Quiet Decorating, one of the four methods I teach in House Hushing, releasing in August. If you’d like a sneak peek, you can read the first two chapters here.

The post Don’t Be Mad at Me, BUT appeared first on Nesting Place.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across this reel on instagram and I was instantly enchanted, inspired and wowed.

Fifteen minutes later, I had a box and was ransacking my house for all the miniature things I’ve been stashing in random drawers for the entirety of my life.

By that evening I had two boxes. One for items for me. One of stuff from my boys.

I’m using a pair of silver fabric wrapped boxes that can close and, for now, they are on my desk. Here’s my personal :) micro collection:

I had a sense of relief or closure or joy to finally have a place to gather all these random bits and bobs I’ve been holding onto. Little joyful items that bring me a tiny zing of inexplicable joy that I’ve come across through the years and stashed in my jewelry box or junk drawer or a random bowl on a shelf, now feel like they can relax and be appreciated.

Even though my boys are all grown, I had some of their tiny trinkets sprinkled in the weirdest places too. A one inch whale that our youngest used to carry around in his sweaty palm has been sitting alone in a tiny silver jewelry box for over ten years. Now it’s part of a meaningful collection. This box is great if little kids (old enough not to choke on smalls) come over, they love looking through it and organizing the items.

I had a lot of these items, but I did have a $30 return to Hobby Lobby and I gave myself permission to stock my boxes a bit–it was so fun!

The one problem? I don’t have a name for these yet that feels right for me. I have lots of Creation Collections™️ 😂 around my house – shallow bowls of shells and rocks and dried flowers. But I want my own special name for this too.

The items gathered together in these boxes have brought me an irrational amount of joy. I show them to everyone who comes over, and they’ve all been obsessed as I am.  

If you want to start your own box of wonder, pocket parade, tiny finds, happy bits…you must shop your house. You might be amazed at what you’ll find over a few days. 

And, if you need to jump start your collection here are some ideas:

Tiny aircraft (and a hot air balloon!)

Architecture around the world (Big Ben!)

82 piece animals (dogs too!)

Tiny Food!

Colorful tassels

Mini makeup

World’s smallest BANANAGRAMS!!!

The post My Whatchamacallit appeared first on Nesting Place.

Summer has a way of slipping by while we’re busy trying to make it special. Not this year.

🌞I have a brand new, free 30-minute mini course for you🌞

It’s a gentle invitation to slow down and welcome summer differently—not by buying more decorations or adding one more thing to the to-do list, but by noticing what’s already here and investing in things that help you experience the season.

With beautiful, juicy summer imagery and simple ideas, I’ll show you how to experience summer like a creator, not a consumer. Amen.

Watch it with your kids, watch it on your porch with something cold to drink, or save it for a quiet moment alone. 

My hope is that it helps you remember the kind of summer you’re craving—and maybe even create the summer you need this year.

On the topic of experiencing summer, here are some of my current favorite things that help me fully experience the season.

Ninja Creami: I’ve been wondering about this since the day it came out in 2021. Finally, five years later, I bought one and instantly understood why the Creami becomes some people’s entire personality. IT’S THE TEXTURE! Imagine a healthy protein shake where you control all of the ingredients in the consistency of your favorite ice cream. It’s magical! And not a pain to freeze pints ahead and only takes a few minutes to “churn”. Why did I wait so long?!

Adirondack Chairs: We have lots of different types of chairs for our patio but Chad and I always choose these to sit in. It’s almost like an outdoor recliner, ours fold and have cup holders, we bought a pair, then loved them so much we bought another pair so we could sit with friends.

Summer Dress: I love this so much I bought it in another color. This is my brainless summer uniform (with the sandals, I’ll link at the end).

Glass Wall Vase: This little bud vase has a hole built in to hang on the wall–I keep mine right above the kitchen sink and enjoy whatever is currently blooming from the yard. 

Cosmos: For the past few years I’ve meant to plant cosmo seeds and I finally did it! Nothings mature enough to bloom yet but I’m already enjoying watching them grow and I threw out thousands of seeds–it’s not too late to plant them!

LL Bean Boat and Tote: I have this in the medium size and have started using it as a handbag on the weekends for errands. The canvas is so sturdy and these bags look better with age and wear and tear. You can hand it down to your kids! My next bag will be size large.

Gumball Necklace: I have a few of these. One from here (gorgeous) and I found one I like from Amazon too. These are my summer necklaces. Yep, I wear them with my dress.

EBike!: Chad bought this ebike for me four years ago and it’s one of my favorite, most joy inducing possessions. (My screen saver is my bike with flowers in the basket! #dork). We live in a hilly area so I love having the optional assist, but this regular bike is lovely too. Don’t forget the bike basket and bell!

Sandals: They are cute, comfy and make a satisfying “snap” when you walk, like flip flops. You can wear them in the water, and since they have a platform base, they feel “dressy”.

Tomato Vine Counter Spray: FINALLY. I’ve long believed that tomato vine is the official scent of summer. Mrs. Meyer’s finally added this scent to their collection.

The post The Summer You’re Craving appeared first on Nesting Place.

Three times a year in the CMC (Cozy Minimalist (CoMi) Community) we celebrate progress. Here are some of my favorite before and afters from our spring CoMi Awards. Join us and your room can be next!

Jessica’s before and after

Hailey’s before and after

Carrie’s before and after

Sarah’s before and after

Phoebe’s before and after

Greta’s before and after

We are relaxed during the summer–it’s the perfect time to join and ease into baby-stepping your way into big change in your home. Join now for just $9 your first month!

Or stay for every season and save $30 off your annual membership.

And if you are ready to put the time in for bigger results–all the steps are ready for you to implement immediately. Choose your own adventure!

wayfair memorial day sale

The post Before & Afters from The Cozy Minimalist Community appeared first on Nesting Place.

Today I thought I’d share my current top ten things I’m loving. For things with links, click the image of the item to see more.

The post My Almost Summer Top 10 appeared first on Nesting Place.

Chad and I went to Aruba last week for our 31st anniversary. This is our second time going, so I had an idea of what to pack – but one thing I’m trying to be better at is packing what I truly need.

I watched a lot of Natalie’s Instagram Reels so I could learn a smarter way to pack. We spend most of our time at the beach, or in very casual outdoor situations, along with some nice dinners. I did what she said and started with three pairs of shoes.

Then I checked out some other people following the Sudoku method – here are some examples and how you can put outfits together from 9 main pieces…

The above image and the one below are from @jennys.looks, follow her on IG here

See how the Sudoku method works? Once you have your basic 9 pieces that coordinate, you should be able to mix every top, with any bottom and any layer to get a bunch of outfit combos – add shoes and an accessory to really change it up.

Here are my sudoku grid basics. 

This was strangely fun!!! Three tops, three bottoms and three layering pieces. Actually, I didn’t pack that bottom right toile gauzy layer – and I regretted it. Here’s what I learned.

this was my airplane outfit there and back

1. It’s SO helpful to have a framework and an idea of how many tops and bottoms are truly needed in order to mix and match. In the past, I would have just packed as much as humanly possible. 

Plus, thinking ahead about activities gave me confidence to pack things I would actually wear – for example I had just found a cute second hand beachy dress for $6 but I had something similar (that I took and didn’t wear!) In my past, I would have taken BOTH dresses and still worn none.

2. The three pairs of shoes limit was also amazing. I trusted others –surely if they can do 10 days in Europe with 3 pairs of shoes, I can do 6 days in Aruba. Guess what, I could have done 2 pairs if I wanted! Last year I took my tennis shoes – I wear them a lot at home, but I realized I didn’t need them at the beach.

3. Patterns and colors are easy and fun to match if you make sure the undertones are the same. Just like if you are pairing patterned pillows on a striped sofa – as long as every thing has the same undertone, you’re good. For my clothes in my sudoku grid, everything had a pure white undertone and I could wear any top with any bottom with any layer! Next year I’m going to look for a beach bag to replace the blue floral and a swimsuit that also has a pure white undertone (see below those are off white) and that will allow me to feel more put together and wear my suit with bottoms if I want.

4. Layering pieces are KEY! Even at the beach–maybe especially! I wore both the white linen button down and the green striped button down OFTEN. The white one ended up looking dirty by the end of the week–I should have obeyed and taken ONE more layer, which would have been that thin toile button down – it’s got a white undertone/background and would have worked with all my pieces! Who would have thought?!

I took two cover ups (the animal print–love it because it doesn’t change color when wet, it dries quickly and can look like a dress) and a blue net dress/coverup that I didn’t wear.

I also took a gorgeous easy to wear teal dress that I ended up wearing three times because the other dresses I took felt complicated compared to this one with an open back. No link, sadly, it was second-hand. (UPDATE: found it on Amazon in lots of colors!)

I also didn’t wear an extra skirt (not in the grid – I panic packed it!) and a short blue dress I thought I would need, but didn’t.

A lot of my clothes are older or second hand, but here are a few items that I would take back today if I were going:

1. Tevas: comfy, look cute with a dress and I waded in the ocean with them
2. Beads: $15! The only jewelry I packed
3. Super goop matte sunscreen: I only applied once a day (I also wore a hat) and my face got zero sun and no freckles–what I wanted
4. Wrap/towel/blanket/skirt: dried super fast, took it with me everywhere
5. Blow up floatie: folds flat, Chad and I both had one we used it in the ocean and the pool, you can sit or lay on it!
6. Acure dry shampoo: I’m not ashamed to tell you that I didn’t wash my hair once on this trip.
7. American Fantasy: I’m over half done, such a fun read for a trip!
8. One piece suit: has a cute corset back! super comfy
9. Justine Basket Bag by Sezane: I splurged on this last year and LOVE it, I use it all spring and summer, it makes every outfit feel fresh – even when I’m not on vacation. It has an inner bag and two types of handles.

The post How I Packed for Vacation appeared first on Nesting Place.

Wayfair’s Way Day 2026 is a three-day sale running from Saturday, April 25 through Monday, April 27, 2026.

The sale features up to 80% off, free shipping sitewide, and new daily deals every 24 hours–yee haw! You can click on any graphic to see those specific links OR click here to see all my Wayfair Favorites.

I’m a Wayfair affiliate, if you purchase through my link, I receive a small commission, I choose what to link to and these are things I love…

The post Wayday Favorites appeared first on Nesting Place.

Before hurricane Helene we had these steps to nowhere. We talked about putting a patio here but the tree was a black walnut and dropped huge heavy fruit/nuts and they are ginormous and also stain things when you step on them. Putting a patio there meant taking down a big healthy tree which we didn’t want to do.

Then the hurricane took the tree (and lots of others) down for us. Patio time.

from the upstairs window
 

I had patio furniture arriving before it was even finished.

My goal was to get enough seating for 20ish without having to babysit pieces and cover them up if it rained. I focused on teak (that big table)…

…polywood (the white stackable chairs), polyethylene, and all weather wicker (captains chairs). The woven chairs really ground the patio, kind of like an upholstered piece does for a room. Since the cushions are small, I usually leave them out. Here are the links.

I had four wood folding chairs that weathered well, and a marble bistro table that loves being outside.

We purchased four polyethylene Adirondack chairs (foldable with cup holders) –these are everyone’s favorite place to sit and they circle our Solo Stove.

We grabbed a grate from our oven and popped it on the Solo Stove. This is where we cook steaks now–they turn out perfect.

The only “decor” is a few urns. I hesitated to share photos this early because I don’t have any flowers yet, but I wanted to share our progress.

Oh, I have some stone birds and a St. Francis statue, too!

We also added an arbor and a pair of obelisk trellises – I’m still debating their location.

I loved this style and size but they didn’t come in white so I painted them.

We are loving our new patio–it feels like our favorite room of the house. And the best part is it’s zero maintenance.

click here for links

and these links 

The post Furnishing Our Backyard Patio appeared first on Nesting Place.

We’re the parents of the groom and we got to host the wedding at our house!

photo by Mady Noel Photo

My dress: SOOOOO comfy, I have it in 3 colors, this one was $39!!!

LOOOOVED this dress for the rehearsal, and my clutch

Hosting this wedding was one of the HIGHLIGHTS of my life (along with hosting the bridal shower!!). I highly recommend it!

photo by Mady Noel Photo

Want all the details, photos & videos?

Maybe you’re hosting a big event, or a wedding, maybe you want ideas for a bridal shower, maybe you’re the bride or the mother of the groom, maybe you’re just curious and love wedding details. I’ve got you. 

I created three deep dive videos in the Cozy Community where I go through Hosting a Bridal Shower, Prepping Our Property and Hosting an At Home Wedding.

photo by Mady Noel

In Hosting a Wedding at Home I answer all the questions asked by the Cozy Community like:

• How many people, parking, catering
• Who paid for what
• How to have a guest focused wedding (it worked!)
• Exactly how much stress this caused
• Tips for getting your own house ready to host
• The unique wedding day
• Front yard welcome reception
• Goals of the bride and groom
• What I focused on, what I didn’t worry about
• What the Bride & Groom are doing next & where they’ll live
• The rehearsal and dinner
• What we hired out, what we did ourselves

In Hosting a Bridal Shower I cover:

• Simple crowd-pleasing shower drinks
• All about our make and take flower arrangement favors with links
• How to create a ruffled tablescape
• The only shower game you need (with a secret goal)
• Hosting a shower that even introverts will love
• Ideal schedule of a shower

In Prepping Our Property I cover topics that will help you get your place ready for any event:

• Why zones are everything how to create them
• What we prioritized
• What we bought

Each topic is packed full of videos and photos you’ve never seen from every step of the way. Plus when you join the Cozy Minimalist Community you receive EVERYTHING, not just the wedding stuff.

Use code: COZYWEDDING to save $30 on your annual membership.

I’d love to have you be part of our private decorating club: The Cozy Minimalist Community: it’s where I teach weekly, share behind the scenes, and you get access to all my classes and our community facebook page (it’s the BEST!) 

This time next year, your friends will all comment on 
your simple, welcoming home.

The post A Cozy Minimalist Wedding appeared first on Nesting Place.

There’s a tiny little room tucked in the corner between the laundry room and the guest bathroom. We call it the snug.

Last week on Instagram I shared this reel about the snug, but I wanted to share more information here today.

First, the color: Sherwin Williams Pewter Green (see all my paint colors here).

Next, the drapes. They are one of my best second-hand finds EVER.  I found THREE 14 foot long panels of striped velvet drapes at an antique mall in Georgia. I bought them in the summer of 2023 for $50 per panel. Sadly there were only three, but the fabric was doubled over, so I knew I could have a seamstress take them apart and make SIX fourteen foot panels if needed. Reader, they were not needed, but later I did have someone take one panel apart to make two –and shorten them.

At the time, I had no idea where I would use them, but the color was one of my Personal Neutrals (House Rule #84) so I bought them. 

As I was checking out, the store owner told me they were from the set of the Jungle Cruise with The Rock and Emily Blunt. I went home and stood twelve inches from the TV with my phone at the ready like a deranged stalker watching the movie.

There’s a scene where Emily Blunt’s character is trying to hide in this tall, glorious old room and there are my drapes! She has to make a quick escape and she ends up falling out of the window WITH THE DRAPES–now I know why they didn’t line the drapes, but used the same fabric on the back! 

My drapes are basically a main character!

I had the Roman shades made through Two Pages, highly recommend.

This dresser is the first piece of furniture Chad and I bought together – 31 years ago. I think we paid $375 for it, second-hand. I’ve always loved dark wood and still do. It’s one of my Timeless Classics (House Rule #23).

Here’s our little view–actually, it’s my cat Francie’s view.

The loveseat is an Ikea loveseat, I had a linen slipcover made here. The lamp bases are from At Home, the shades are from Target.

The bigger marble table is from World Market and the little ottoman is fromLulu and Georgia.

Pretty much everything else is from Wayfair.

Speaking of Wayfair, it’s their annual President’s Day Sale! That little round table is less than $75 and the side tables are less than $80. 

click any graphic to see all the links

The post The Snug appeared first on Nesting Place.